Liver Assist, Research Review

Liver Assist - Herbal Protection for the Liver

Our animal friends are exposed to a wide variety of environmental pollutants. They can swallow or lick up poisonous substances including household chemical sprays, lawn treatments including herbicides and pesticides; they ingest artificial coloring, flavoring and chemical food preservatives, meat from diseased animals found in pet foods; they must tolerate the stress and strain of vaccines, tick repellent, heartworm chemicals, over-the-counter and prescription pharmaceuticals, etc. The liver is the body’s main detoxifier, one of the most important vital organs, and needs a little help in filtering out all of the above. This formula offers protection and regeneration for your pet’s liver. Silymarin, the active ingredient in milk thistle, has been shown to work in chronic liver disease and is able to improve liver function. Results in many double-blind studies on the effects of silymarin show regeneration of liver cells and positive protection from acute viral hepatitis through major antioxidant and antiperoxidative effects. The base of this formula, (used in Japan by 90% of human chronic hepatitis sufferers) Chai Hu Tang, is being studied by the Japanese for improving levels of interleukin-1, a compound which acts to improve the immunity of the liver. Japanese researchers have identified steroid-like ingredients, saikosaponins, that enhance the activity of cortisone and prevent adrenal atrophy. The studies seemed to to promote the clearance of HBeAg in children with chronic hepatitis B virus infection and with sustained liver disease. Bupleurum, also displays nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory activity and has been shown to protect against the effects of prednisone. Over ninety percent of chronic hepatitis sufferers in Japan, some 1.5 million people, are taking a safe, natural medicine recommended by conventional physicians and proven effective in hundreds of papers and studies. Studies have shown that this herbal formula strengthens the immune system, reduces viral loads, and can stop the progression of chronic viral hepatitis into serious liver damage, cirrhosis and even liver cancer.

The efficacy of Shosaiko-to (SST) on 222 patients with chronic active hepatitis was studied in a double-blind multicenter clinical study. One hundred and sixteen patients received SST in a daily oral dose of 5.4 g for 12 weeks, followed by the same dose for a further 12 weeks. One hundred and six patients received a placebo containing 0.5 g of SST for 12 weeks, followed by a cross-over to SST for a further 12 weeks. Among the liver tests, serum AST and ALT values decreased significantly with the administration of SST. The difference of the mean value between the SST group and the placebo group was significant after 12 weeks. In patients with chronic active type B hepatitis, a tendency towards a decrease of HBeAg and an increase of Anti-HBe antibodies was also observed. No remarkable side effects were noticed.

SST also proves effective in preventing or stopping the progression into liver cancer for patients with cirrhosis

Water-soluble ingredients of the herbal medicine sho-saiko-to dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of a human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (KIM-1) and a cholangiocarcinoma cell line (KMC-1). Sho-saiko-to suppressed the proliferation of the carcinoma cell lines significantly more strongly than did each of its major ingredients, i.e., saikosaponin a, c, and d, ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg1, glycyrrhizin, baicalin, baicalein, and wogonin, or another herbal medicine, juzen-taiho-to (P < 0.05 or 0.005). (a) it induces apoptosis in the early period of exposure and (b) it induces arrest at the G0/G1 phase in the late period of exposure.

Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum has the active principle, silymarin, that has been demonstrated in animals to protect against various hepato-toxic substances. To determine the effect of silymarin on the outcome of patients with cirrhosis, a double blind, prospective, randomized study was performed in 170 patients with cirrhosis. Analysis of subgroups indicated that treatment was effective in patients with alcoholic cirrhosis.

Silymarin (Milk Thistle) has so far failed to clearly show an antifibrotic effect in human studies, whereas animal experiments suggest that this mixture of flavolignanes may be beneficial in patients which have not yet developed cirrhosis. Animal studies indicate an antifibrotic potential of Shosaiko-to, a herbal combination frequently used in China and Japan for the treatment of chronic viral hepatitis.

Schisandra studies are showing great promise in liver protection against viral hepatitis9 as well as toxic chemicals.10,12 Schisandra protects the liver against toxic chemical damage even when activated into a poison, in the liver, such as with carbon tetrachloride. There are no toxic reactions reported even at huge dosages.11 Schisandra is a well-known Chinese herb, widely used in ancient China. During recent decades, it has been found to be effective in viral and chemical induced hepatitis and repair of the injured liver cells.16

Over ninety percent of chronic hepatitis sufferers in Japan, some 1.5 million people, are taking a safe, natural medicine recommended by conventional physicians and proven effective in hundreds of papers and studies. Of over 120 papers and studies done in Japan, most interesting are two double-blind, five-year studies and one seven-year study. They each conclude that herbal protection is effective at preventing the progression of hepatitis into cirrhosis and cirrhosis into liver cancer. One study showed that herbal treatment was 50% more effective than the conventional control treatment. Moreover, in a randomized trial, cirrhotic patients receiving sho-saiko-to had a lower incidence of developing HCC and greater survival compared to placebo. As well, here in the US, a phase-two study is underway at the Sloan-Kettering testing the efficacy of herbal formulae.

Currently being studied by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (www.mskcc.org) to determine its effect against liver cancer.This study is entitled “Sho-Saiko-To after Ablation for Non-Resectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Phase II Trial with Historical Control.”

This Phase II trial led by Tarek Hassanein, M.D., Chief of Hepatology and Liver Transplant at the prestigious UCSD Medical Center. The researchers at UCSD plan to determine the effects of Sho-saiko-to (H09) on patients with compensated cirrhosis. The main focus of this study will be evaluating the anti-fibrotic effect and tolerability of Sho-saiko-to (H09) in the patients.

Clinical investigation by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to determine its effect against hepatitis C. “Sho-Saiko-to for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis C Who Are Intolerant to Or Have Contraindication to Interferon-Based Therapy: A Phase II Study”.